How to Froth Milk? What's the Ideal Milk Temperature? Cappuccino Making Techniques and Flavor Characteristics

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When we're at a coffee shop, we all love to order a rich latte or cappuccino. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that cappuccino has thicker foam than latte. FrontStreet Coffee has previously introduced the making of latte coffee, and this article will discuss the ins and outs of cappuccino making.

When FrontStreet Coffee makes milk foam, we always use a steam wand. Generally, the process of heating milk and creating foam using a machine called a steam wand is known as frothing milk.

Then, when high-quality coffee is combined with milk, people can experience "the natural sweetness of coffee itself." Cappuccino is not sweetened by milk, but rather a beverage that uses milk to help people better appreciate "the natural sweetness of coffee itself." To bring out this sweetness and deliciousness, the following four points must be noted.

1. Milk Temperature

To achieve fine and dense milk foam, it's best to use chilled milk! FrontStreet Coffee typically keeps milk refrigerated in the fridge and stores it there when not in use. The milk temperature should be "a temperature that's easy to drink as a beverage," based on appropriately warmed drinks that people can enjoy.

When you drink a cappuccino with overheated milk, you'll feel the "foam" and "liquid" separating. You start by drinking the foam, then suddenly you taste the liquid.

Although the temperature of the steamed liquid rises, the foam—being a collection of bubbles—remains foam no matter how much it's heated. This means the temperature of the foam/air won't rise. Therefore, when you start drinking, the foam isn't that hot, but when you reach the liquid underneath, you'll suddenly feel heat—this is what creates the sensation of separation.

Excessive temperature also creates problems. Specifically, the bitterness of coffee becomes stronger. When the temperature is too high, it becomes difficult to perceive the delicate sweetness and texture of coffee. Instead, the bitterness of coffee—its most easily recognizable characteristic—becomes more prominent. Of course, when the temperature is too high, there's also the risk of burning your tongue.

Cappuccino tastes best when freshly made, so immediate consumption is the most recommended drinking time. At this point, the foam is quite delicate. If left for too long, the liquid and foam will gradually separate, making it impossible to experience this unique texture and quality. This is why FrontStreet Coffee prefers not to serve cappuccino to customers at excessively high temperatures.

The "optimal drinking time" for cappuccino is at a temperature where customers can drink immediately, allowing them to experience the unity of liquid and foam while also appreciating the delicate sweetness that coffee—one of the ingredients—possesses. This temperature isn't confirmed with a thermometer but rather through physical sensations like hearing. During the frothing process, feel the temperature with your palm and listen to the sound of the steam. When the temperature is high, the sound also becomes higher.

The heat felt by your palm, the sound of steam, the duration of steaming... What kind of flavor will a cappuccino have when these factors are controlled? FrontStreet Coffee's baristas must confirm each time during training, repeatedly practicing these operations, using their palm to feel temperature when frothing milk. The sound of steam can also predict temperature. This helps find the optimal milk temperature, and FrontStreet Coffee believes the ideal temperature for milk frothing is between 55-65°C.

2. Foam Density

Fine foam is an important element that gives cappuccino its wonderful texture and mouthfeel, and it's also indispensable for creating beautiful latte art.

So, how can you create high-quality foam? FrontStreet Coffee suggests focusing on two points: "gradually incorporating air into milk" and "completely utilizing the steam emitted from the wand tip."

When FrontStreet Coffee froths milk, we visually confirm the fineness of the foam. After making a cappuccino and adding color, it becomes even clearer—the finer the foam, the better the texture, and the more beautiful the cappuccino will appear when completed.

If the foam on your frothed milk surface is uneven and bumpy, this might indicate that injected steam is forming bubbles that are trying to escape from the milk surface, meaning the steam from the wand tip isn't being fully utilized. Because the heat and air from the steam escape, frothing takes more time. Since steam from the wand contains moisture, the longer it takes, the more water-like the milk becomes. Since this is a product for customers, besides the benefit of completing it sooner, if it becomes too watery, it will compromise the coffee's flavor.

Therefore, when frothing milk, you need to slowly incorporate air. The air and heat from the wand tip are almost fully utilized, and you can clearly see that no bubbles are floating on the foam surface. Because all the incorporated air is used, the time is minimized, and the milk doesn't become watery.

"Foam isn't created all at once, but gradually. However, the surface won't be uneven, heat won't escape, work becomes efficient, and time is shortened." Keep this key point in mind when frothing milk, and practice while visually confirming the foam's condition when steaming.

When steaming milk, proceed quietly without creating surface bubbles. Although it's possible to inject bubbles all at once, this will make the foam coarse, heat will escape with the popping bubbles, and the time required will increase.

3. Foam Volume

Appropriate foam volume is crucial for cappuccino. A certain amount of beautiful foam provides mouthfeel and a soft texture when drinking. When foam is thin, liquid and foam will quickly separate after pouring, and you'll notice this when tasting. This prevents you from experiencing the characteristic deliciousness of cappuccino—"the unity of foam and liquid"—so FrontStreet Coffee makes cappuccino foam slightly thicker than latte foam.

Cappuccino consists of foam, milk, and espresso. Less foam means more liquid milk, which increases the proportion of milk relative to espresso. When large amounts of milk are added, the espresso becomes diluted, making it more difficult to perceive the coffee's own flavor.

For "enjoying a silky texture" or "maintaining appropriate concentration of milk and espresso," the right amount of foam is necessary.

4. Milk Texture

"Texture" in English refers to the feeling when touched, the visual/tactile sensation of the surface, appearance, grain, etc. The texture/mouthfeel of coffee or espresso is called "mouthfeel," while the texture/mouthfeel of milk is expressed as "texture."

There are two key points for milk texture. First, create fine-textured foam. Silky texture and quality come from fine-textured foam. Second, improve efficiency to make foam quickly. Generally, FrontStreet Coffee focuses on "creating fine-textured foam in a short time," which is very important for milk texture.

The technique of pouring milk to create a cappuccino that balances well with coffee flavor is one of the important factors in cappuccino flavor composition. This involves the following two key points.

Pour while stirring. FrontStreet Coffee recommends that when pouring milk into espresso, try to achieve "uniform mixing with espresso." Additionally, while stirring, "foam," "liquid milk," and "espresso" will fully mix, avoiding flavor imbalances.

Furthermore, while beautiful latte art doesn't necessarily equal high-quality cappuccino, it's still quite an important factor. Besides valuing contrast or latte art, be careful not to pour milk at only one point or only focus on creating a beautiful surface when making cappuccino.

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Important Notice :

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